Later that day, Marmalade took all of us into the city. I couldn't help but wonder what he was planning as we pulled up to Sunnyside Laboratories, where about a hundred angry activists were picketing. However, since I was out of the house, I took this as an opportunity to wear one of my dresses. Simple, yet bold.
"That is an animal testing lab," Marmalade explained. "Within: 200,000 helpless guinea pigs all being poked and prodded by sadistic scientists."
"Guinea pigs, you say?" Snake said, seemingly excited. Trying to remain positive, I just hoped he was looking forward to saving them.
"Snake..." Wolf said sternly.
"Okay," the Professor said. "I want you to rescue them, but this is a heist for good. So I brought something more friendly for you to wear."
With that, Cuddles handed each of the Bad Guys a cute, fluffy onesie and as they got dressed, the Professor pulled me aside.
"Keep an eye on them," he whispered, "and don't let them screw this one up."
"Of course, sir," I replied. "I won't let you down."
"Good girl!" Marmalade said as we all stepped out of the car and Cuddles drove him away. "Bye!"
Once he was gone, I noticed the Bad Guys taking in how ridiculous they felt. I'm not gonna lie, they did look kinda silly. Especially Wolf in the sheep's clothing.
"Well, there goes our street cred," Webs huffed.
"At least it's comfy," Piranha said, not feeling as bad.
"So, ready to make the world a better place, guys?" I asked them.
"Let's just get it over with," Wolf groaned and we all climbed up the building to an open window. "Alright. We need to distract that scientist. Shark, you're up."
"Copy that," Shark said, sneaking away.
"Okay," Wolf said. "We're gonna need a rope and a hook."
"I got this one!" Snake volunteered.
"What?" the others exclaimed simultaneously.
"You're volunteering?" Piranha asked.
"You've never volunteered for anything," Webs pointed out.
"Sure, I did! Right now!" Snake replied. "Throw me up there! Giddy up!"
"Really?" Wolf asked, grabbing him.
"Yep!" Snake insisted. "I'm 99% sure you can make it!"
"Okay," Wolf said nervously.
"Let's do it!" Snake shouted. With that, Wolf spun Snake around like a lasso and accidentally slammed his face in the wrong spot. "Okay... 96% sure."
As Snake hit the window over and over again, I saw Shark wearing glasses and a fake moustache throwing a ball and the scientist running off to catch it. He then ran to the open window to grab Snake and the rest of us climbed up into the building.
"Professor, we're in the lab," I said through an earpiece.
"Right," he said. "The guinea pigs are locked behind a three-foot-thick steel door. The only way in is through the vents."
"He says to go through the vents," I told the others. Wolf found the nearest vent and opened it up.
"I got it!" Snake said eagerly, already slithering through the vents. The others looked confused.
"I've never seen him so chipper," Shark said. "Has he been meditating?"
"Maybe he just really wants to be a better person?" I guessed, although I secretly doubted it. Nevertheless, we all just waited for him outside. For some reason, it was taking way too long.
"Snake?" Wolf called out. "Come on, Snake. Open up."
Fortunately, the door finally opened.
"Relax! These doors are complicated," he said, slurring his words. Unfortunately, nearly half of the guinea pigs were inside of his grossly distended stomach!
"¡Ay, Dios mio!" I whimpered.
"Are you kidding me?!" Webs yelled.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Wolf exclaimed. "You're supposed to save them, not eat them!"
"Well, I'd say they've gone to a better place," he laughed.
"That's it!" Wolf shouted, grabbing Snake and throwing him around. "Spit them out!"
While Snake coughed up the guinea pigs, the rest of the Bad Guys scrambled to get the others.
"We're gonna save you whether you like it or not!" Shark said, trying to grab them.
"We're saving you, stupid hairball!" Webs growled, riding one's back and grabbing its ears.
"Not that door, the other door!" Piranha yelled, but none of them were listening.
"The Professor's gonna kill me," I muttered. Suddenly, another door opened and outside was Marmalade and the activists. As most of the guinea pigs ran out into the open, they all saw the Bad Guys seemingly hurting the remaining ones.
"It's not what it looks like," Wolf insisted. Then, an alarm went off and Snake coughed up one last guinea pig who also ran off. I decided to just stay out of this. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to get noticed.
🐺🐍🕷️🦈🐟🐹🦊🐠💍🪡☄️💋
"Trespassing, burglary, mayhem, assault with a deadly reptile?!" Diane exclaimed as she read a newspaper. "As if those poor rodents haven't been through enough already?!"
"Now, Diane, please-"
"Okay," Diane said, not listening to the Professor. "I'm sorry, Professor, but I'm calling the chief. This experiment is over"
As Diane left and Marmalade followed, we all glared at Snake.
"You couldn't help yourself?" Wolf scolded.
"So, I had a moment of weakness," Snake argued. "Sue me!"
"That's gonna be difficult to do in prison!" Wolf pointed out.
"Guys!" Webs interrupted. "What do we do now?"
Wolf huffed and said, "Time to launch that charm offensive."
"Oh, yeah," Shark said with a smirk as Wolf walked off. "The full Clooney."
"What does that mean?" I asked.
"Gabriela, can I have a word with you?" Marmalade called out. "Alone?"
"Yes, sir," I said nervously. I knew he wasn't happy with me, but I couldn't turn away. "Now, sir, I know what you're thinking."
"What happened?" he snarled.
"You... You told me to have faith and I... I had a little faith in Señor Snake," I stuttered.
"I told you to be positive, not stupid!" he yelled. "You're ruining everything!"
"I'm sorry, sir!" I sobbed, feeling ashamed.
"You know what? Forget it," he groaned. "Just go to your room. You've embarrassed me enough."
"Yes, sir," I said, crying as I went upstairs.
I didn't want to disappoint the Professor, but following his exact word was so difficult. I spent the next couples hours in my room, working on a dress as gray as my mood.
"Hey, are you okay?" I heard someone say. I slightly turned my head to see Piranha holding the door open. He must've seen the Professor yell at me.
"I'm used to it," I muttered. "I want to be a good girl, but it's just... so hard being perfect."
"You don't have to be perfect, Gabi," he tried to reassure me. My eyes widened after hearing that. "What? What did I say?"
"Nothing, it's just... It's been a long time since anyone's called me Gabi," I admitted. "It feels good."
"Really? Not even Professor Butt-Rock calls you Gabi?" Piranha asked, making me giggle.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have laughed," I apologized.
"I like hearing you laugh," he said gently, making me blush. "I think you're great the way you are. Scars and all."
I subconsciously covered up my scar and turned my head towards the window, where I found Wolf outside by the tree where the cat was still stuck.
"Just hear me out, Gabi," Piranha said. I grabbed the top of his head and made him look outside to see Wolf and the cat. "What's he doing?"
"Come on!" I said, running out the door. Piranha followed me and the others took notice. We all saw the cat climb down the tree and into Wolf's paws. The moment I saw his tail wag, I knew he felt the tingle of goodness.
The rest of us cheered and as we walked away, I noticed that the Professor pulled Wolf aside for a moment.
"Oh, Wolf?" he said. "I must say, you've really turned a corner. You're really getting it."
"Really?" Wolf replied. "Oh, well, thanks."
"No, I mean it," Marmalade insisted. "I can see it from tip to tail. It's just a shame you have to carry all of that... baggage."
"What is he talking about?" I asked myself.
"What are you talking about?" Wolf asked. "You mean the guys? What do you mean?"
"You have great potential, Wolf," Marmalade said, "but at some point, you're going to have to choose between your friends or the good life."
I turned my head to find Snake overhearing them, too. This did not seem to make him happy at all. I wouldn't have been happy, either. Then again, I felt as though when I chose to become the Professor's ward, I gave up whatever chance I had of making amends with my old friends, the Rat Pack. For all I knew, I could've gone to the same prison they went to and we could've talked about what happened that night at the restaurant.
"Hey, Gabi!" Piranha called out, interrupting my train of thought. "I was, uh... I was just wondering... Would you like to go to that Gala of Goodness thing with me?"
"Oh, Piranha, I would love to," I admitted. "I even made the perfect dress for the occasion, but... the Professor will never let me go. He never does."
"Who cares what he thinks?"
"I care," I said. "I owe everything to the Professor. I can't just disobey him."
"Sure you can," Piranha insisted. "It doesn't hurt to be a little rebellious every now and then."
"It doesn't?" I asked nervously.
"Nope! Come on, live a little," he said. "Please?"
I didn't want to get into more trouble, but Piranha began making the cutest face that I just couldn't say no to.
"Well, I..." I stuttered as Piranha made his yellow eyes look bigger. I sighed in defeat. "Okay, I'll go to the gala with you. But how am I supposed to get there without the Professor noticing?"
"We can figure that out tomorrow," Piranha assured me. "Right now, go get your beauty sleep."
"Okay," I replied. "Goodnight, Piranha."
"Goodnight, Gabi."
As I went to bed, I felt... something new. Not like that good tingle the Professor talked about, but more like a mix between an adrenaline rush and pure bliss.
And I liked it.